Swahili Kitchen July 26, 2013

Is your palate stuck in a rut…do you find yourself always ordering the same foods…pizza, cheese steaks or Chinese takeout? Do you want something different while supporting a new local business, then I suggest you try Swahili Kitchenon Main Street in Middletown.

Swahili Kitchen specializes in East African cuisine, specifically recipes from Tanzania, and although the menu is new it’s actually the second part of Manhattan Bagel, also owned by Rishen Patel and his wife Heeral.

The concept of adding a different offering in an already thriving breakfast business was a great idea, Rishen stated that after 2 p.m. no one was coming in to buy bagels so he decided to offer his native foods. In Middletown you can find every type of food except African style which is what motivated the Patels to open Swahili Kitchen.

On Sunday, hubby and I stopped in and decided to try the chicken and beef items from the promotional menu, which also included Pork Kebabs, but you know we don’t eat pork. If you like mildly spicy foods you will definitely enjoy the Chicken dishes, especially the marinated leg quarters called Sekela. There was just the right balance of seasoning including curry and the chips weren’t soggy even with the veggie topping. The promotional prices, currently $5 and under were very reasonable considering the portion sizes which were more than enough for leftovers.

The Chicken Mishkaki is listed as being served on a skewer, but since we had take out it was simply placed in a Styrofoam container. The Tamarind Sauce was a perfect compliment to this dish of very tender chicken cubes, potatoes, green peppers and onions slices.

What are called “chips” in Africa are actually what we call “fries”, and they are topped with a veggie mix of shredded carrots, cabbage and red onions and a perfect blend of spices.

Chicken Pili Pili is a spicy BBQ leg quarter served with white rice and coleslaw

Dinner was excellent and the side sauce added just the right amount of “fire” for me!

So this weekend if you are in the mood for something different head over to Swahili Kitchen which is located at 400 W. Main St. and their hours of operation are 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., Tuesday through Sunday (closed Monday)

Great, I think you and your wife should try it. If you like spicy you ‘ll definitely like the Tarmarind sauce, but it’s on the side so if you don’t like it, it won’t mess up the entire dish. Enjoy and have a fantastical weekend!